Meet Sadra Madonna Lindsay | Minister, Author, Gospel Recording Artist, Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sadra Madonna Lindsay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sadra Madonna, how do you define success?
Success for me is simple, in any area and in my life in general, success is being content that I have indeed done my best; in business, in my family and in all the other areas that God has called me to steward. Success is refusing to measure my moves parallel to the moves of someone else, but being fully knowledgeable that each individual has their own vital role to play in the bigger picture of life itself. It is understanding that being successful is not a one size fits all. For some having peace of mind and contentment in a 9-5 represents success. For some still, success is being on the go, making that entrepreneurial dream a reality. A big part of success is understanding what your offering is to the world by God’s design, and striving to be your best in that particular area or varied areas as the case might be. Success for me is demonstrating at every phase and stage of my own growth and development an attitude of complete gratitude for how far I have come along my own journey.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a Minister first, an Author, Gospel Recording Artist and Entrepreneur. Those are a few hats to wear and I am grateful for the grace that God has given me to steward multiple areas. I am co-owner along with my husband Pastor Sherwayen Lindsay of Garden Gold Cosmetics where we manufacture and distribute naturally made haircare and skin care products, both locally in Jamaica and Internationally. I also have the privilege of serving in the Assemblies of the First Born Church International as one of the Leaders. Along with my husband, we lead the Top Alston AFBCI.

I have always been a creative person in the areas of writing and singing. My writing spanned not just stories or poems but also music. This has helped me significantly in making a career of being a professional gospel recording artist an award winning author. I believe that what sets me apart is the obvious grace that God has poured out over my life. He has blessed me with many talents and I find it a great privilege to return to him with interest what He has seen fit to bestow upon me. I don’t know if we can call resilience a talent, but it is certainly a gift and with all that God has given me He has seen it fit to throw amongst the mix resilience, if it sets me apart I am eternally grateful.

I have come to realize that there is nothing in this life that is easy. It takes drive, grit, determination and a certain amount of zeal to get the job done. Not only this but God gives us helpers along the way to lift us up when the journey becomes really hard. That said, I am grateful for my husband Pastor Sherwayen Lindsay, who may just be the most encouraging and accommodating person in my life. My siblings, particularly my brother Orville Sutherland who is never short on words of wisdom and just a daily listening ear. I am grateful for my God Mother Patricia Thomas and my good friends who stood with me through the test of times Temeisha McKenzie and Anna-Kay King. There are many others along the journey who came out of nowhere when the rubber hit the road and I am indeed grateful.

One of the most significant lessons I have learned over my life is that ‘it takes time’. Young people like myself like to move fast. One of the burdens of this kind of attitude is that sometimes you get hopeless when you feel like you are just not going fast enough or that things are just taking too long for your liking. My first business taught me that no matter where you happen to start on the journey, whether you’re a creative, a professional or an entrepreneur, time is not your enemy, it is by contrast, your friend. You will need it to learn, to understand, to cope and to build. There is nothing of relevance in life that will teach you ‘more’ than time will. So take your time, trust the process. As a child we often hear the saying “the world naw run weh” or “tek time wit di worl and mek it serve yuh long” These sayings mean 1. The world will not run away from you, it is right there for you to take hold of, to grasp and to make the absolute best of. 2. Take time with the world and it will serve you long; sometimes we feel like the world is running away from us and in the process of trying to keep up with it, we hurt ourselves. So take time with the world, it is not the world that will last you longer it is you who will last longer in it. Secondly, be grateful, like time gratitude is your friend. It will help you to maneuver the toughest of seasons. Always remember that the verse in 1st Thessalonians 5:18 “In all things give thanks because this is the will of God for you”, is not just in the Bible because it sounds good, it is by contrast there to help you to remain calm even when you believe there is very little to be thankful for. With time and gratitude for every season of your own journey, you will look back and find peace for every turn, the good and the bad, because none is without its own lesson. Finally, and perhaps one that has taken me the longest to learn and I’m still sitting at the feet of Jesus on this one; “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.

If the world should know one thing about me, it would be that I am a living testimony of God’s goodness and His grace. Every idea, every vision and dream that has been realized thus far comes directly from God. I take no credit. He endows me with the grace to do much and I take it a privilege to be able to do what I can. I am a vessel and it is my desire that as long as I live I will make full proof of all that He has so entrusted to me. I live with the knowledge so ably taught by my parents and very graciously received that “to whom much is given, much is likewise expected”.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am a fan of family time and very intimate gatherings where family and friends gather to share food and laughter. One of my favorite spots to chill with the family is Little Ochi in St. Elizabeth Jamaica because it offers me the comfort of the sea and amazing food which my children absolutely love. For a weeklong stay the beaches in St. Ann particularly the Dunn’s River Falls would be a welcome spot to spend some time as well as the beautiful parish of Portland where there is so much to explore. If you like lights and city enjoyments, there are multiple places in Jamaica’s capital city Kingston that persons will find very delightful while swinging by our Emancipation Park for a relaxing evening.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I will always honor the blessing of my parents Susan Pennant-Sutherland and Hubert Sutherland. We grew up in a family of sixteen which meant that there were fourteen siblings of us, all born in the late 80s, 90s and early 2000s. From very early in our lives we recognized that raising fourteen children in a single household was no easy task. Nonetheless my parents instilled in us an appreciation for education. They made sure that we understood that education was perhaps the surest way out of certain situations. They also taught the vast importance of nurturing the gifts and the talents that God had given to us individually. For those who could sing our mother was the very faithful steward of our gift to sing. If you could write a story well or recite she was right there to make sure that everyone around us knew of that special gift or talent that we had. With the guide of our parents our home was a religious place. There was prayer meeting on Sunday mornings and even though our father wasn’t a practicing Christian he was there every Sunday morning with a scripture and a lengthy talk on right and wrong. I remember as teenage I made the terrible blunder when my siblings complained about the prayer meetings in the morning. I said (but without seriousness) that prayer meetings should be held every morning. To my surprise and later displeasure, my mother took my advice and for weeks this was the case until she herself grew weary. This kind of effort into the development of not just education and talents helped us to develop good moral principles and by God’s grace it has kept me until today. They have been very instrumental in molding me into the person I have become and is no doubt still becoming on my own journey through life. They have taught me to appreciate who I am and what my offering to the world is. There is a story of my youth which is documented in full in my first book “To This Day Let Me Write An Inspired Poetic Memoir”. I remember as a child it took me a little longer than my parents who were both teachers, expected me to. Though I couldn’t read I was a good speaker and I had beautiful penmanship. Thus, it was hard to imagine that I had this short-coming. My mother though, an early childhood teacher herself recognized one fine day, that I was merely reading pictures from the book and not the words. She went a little further and realized that I was not able to identify most letters either. To any parent that’s a matter of concern for a seven year old which no doubt needed immediate attention. My mother was quite over taken by what she deemed a serious situation. My father however, quickly dismissed the idea, expressing to my mother that I had a “Quality Cup”. He went on further to explain that it doesn’t take a regular “cup” to memorize the entire book from cover to cover. That for me was a very defining moment in my life. It changed the entire trajectory of my life. I had parents who could recognize when something was off and in turn fix it. Also because of the words of my father it built in me a confidence to be excellent and by God’s grace it is still carrying me through. I will always honor the gift of my father and mother.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadramadonna/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://jm.linkedin.com/in/sadra-madonna-lindsay-7b55081a8

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SadraMadonna/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sadramadonna8549

Other: https://www.boomplay.com/songs/4715481
https://www.instagram.com/gardengoldcosmetics/?hl=en
https://www.amazon.com/This-Day-Let-Me-Write/dp/B09M2LPM8L

Image Credits
The photos in the uploads belong to me.